Oooo, if my Shiba ever gets into trouble with the law I'll hit you up :P

I'm a college student, I'm getting my Shiba in June (So right after this semester ends.) I'll have until late August to spend almost 24/7 with the pup. I've heard people say on another thread that you shouldn't get a dog if you're in college because of the lack of time you'd have to spend with it. So I held off on getting a dog my first year and I ended up with a lottttt of time on my hands. So I decided to get a dog now, after gauging how difficult it would be to make time for the dog. My college tuition is currently paid for (So no loans or debt really for that matter, except for what I charge on my credit card) which I know is a problem for college students getting dogs, not being able to provide for them.

I'm wondering how difficult it has been for college students to take care of their Shiba, also how difficult is it to take care of a Shiba while living in an apartment.

again, not quite what you are looking for, but both my husband and I are in grad school... With him having close to 20 credits plus clinic time and me studying social work and having horrendously sized papers... we still have time for Sakura, even if we have to make it (ie having a walking lunch while taking her fuzzy bum potty). Studying for a big test or working on a big paper are when she likes to grab the noisiest toy in existance and play, but other than that, I see no issues in having a dog in college... except if you tend to leave your books or papers on the ground.

I got kenshin when I was 19 in my second year of college. Now I'm 21 and in my last year with him. I didn't find owning him while in college to be a big deal. I actually think it was beneficial because he forces me to go outside, and not vegetate, as well make me seriously think about time management. The only time it was rough was when I first got him, which was at the start of may, a few weeks before finals, and then my ferret became very ill, but once all of that cleared up, it was smooth sailing.

That helps so much! It's pretty much like what I'm going through except I'm getting mine pretty much right AFTER finals :D Vegetating is pretty much what I've been doing lately haha. I hate walking alone, but I love walking with dogs, that weird?

Being in college is not the issue - people at all ages and stages of lives can make the decision to devote their time to an animal. If you are on this forum and doing your research and asking questions like you are, you are obviously mature enough to evaluate your life, your time, and your energy level. The issue is do you want to make a shiba a priority right now, when you are in college? As a pup, I can tell you it is no vacation!!! Consider instead of being in college as the main factor - where are you at in your life? Are you going to want to travel? Get a job that takes you away from home hours at a time? What if a date/partner doesn't like dogs - how will you handle it? Is your dog going to come first (love me, love my dog kind of thing)? Those are the real questions to ask yourself. Being in college is a great time in your life, and lots of college students who live in apartments have dogs. But a shiba is not an average dog! It is not going to be the super mellow, off-leash, comes when called, laid back kind of dog - at least not for the first 3 years, if ever! If it is living in an apartment that you are concerned with, don't worry about that. We have 2 male shibas in an apartment in Chicago and it is just fine, plus we foster at times too so sometimes have 3. They get walked 3 times a day for at least 30 minutes (usually more like 45 to an hour if it is nice out), plus time in our yard. If you don't have a fenced yard, find a dog park nearby that is fenced! Anyway, I hope this opinion helps…if not, just ignore me!

I will say that my parents are willing babysitters when it comes to Kenshin, so when I want to do things I can. So you need to think about that as well. Plus costs are pretty high with a puppy, I think I spent over 1k on things for him that first year, not including his initial cost. Now his costs are around 500 a year for food, toys, and vetting. However if something were to happen, costs could quickly spiral out of control. Not to mention it means you may have to take classes based on coming back to walk your dog. It's something to really consider, because I knew quite a few people who had regular dogs who wound up re-homing them because of the pressure.

@alisagaylon this helped a lot too (: a puppy will be one of my top priorities. My partner is currently living with me basically (not on the lease but he's been staying with me for four months or so.) We are moving technically in together (both on the lease) to a new place in May. So the puppy is a joint decision. I won't be getting a job that will take me away from home most likely (At least not for four years.) But then the dog would move with me to the new town, as I won't be getting a job that requires me to leave town for business trips. I do plan on taking vacations every couple of years later in my life, but the dog comes first in my books. I wouldn't leave town without the dog unless he or she was with me or had prior arrangements to stay with family, friends, or something of the sort.

@Inoushi I anticipate costs being pretty high for the first year like you said. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle the costs. If not I'm pretty sure my mother would help out a little, because I would never want to give the puppy up. I understand that a dog is a HUGE commitment, one that I'm ready for. I'm ready to devote 15+ years of my life to caring for a Shiba.

Being a student is no different really to those who are out of the home during the day for work... if you are in a position when you can come home at various intervals to take puppy out to the toilet, feed and walk your dog then it shouldnt really matter i wouldnt think. For me, i held off getting my puppies until i wasnt working, after having a baby i am at home to raise her so i chose this point in my life to get my puppies. It has worked out for me because i have alot of opportunities to be with them while they are learning. For me having the time was a huge deciding factor as i would not be comfortable having them in a crate or pen for long periods of time while im not home. My puppies go outside for probably a total of a few hours, they have sooo much energy i couldnt see them having too much fun stuck in a crate for hours while no one was home. But every puppy is different and both mine are just bundles of energy that love being outside!

I'm 19 in my 2nd year of college. The previous semesters weren't that bad, in that I still had a lot of time to spend with my dog, and birds, but this semester is killing me. My parents have basically taken full care of my animals right now. So it really depends on how your schedule is.

anyway, I agree with what others (esp. alisagaylon) have said....it depends more on the person, rather than being in school. I will say I've seen several people I thought were pretty level headed grad students decide they were going to live overseas after grad school, and they gave up their dogs (one of which was a Shiba) and while it all turned out ok for the dogs, I do think people don't think about that enough when they get a dog. It's NOT easy for a dog to be rehomed, and it's particularly hard with Shibas, both finding a home for them, and then getting a Shiba adjusted to a new home. (The Shiba I saw rehomed was a puppy mill dog, too, bought at a pet store, and he was quite skittish and it took a long time to adjust, though now he's happy in his new home).

so I worry, more that, people--any people--aren't thinking about the fact that they will have this dog for 15 years or so, and that all their decisions about their lives will now include a dog who must be cared for and have a good, dog friendly home.

That said, things can and do happen to people at any age. I'm very aware that I'm lucky to have a decent job and own a home, so my three dogs have plenty of space, but if something happened and my husband or I lost our jobs, we'd have a much harder time with three dogs.

Hey, I'm a 19 year old college student too! (: I'm finishing up my first year. I initially wanted to get a shiba around the beginning of last semester because I had a lot of free time. But the circumstances and timing were bad so we didn't end up finding Apollo till December. Bad news is now I'm pulling an 18-credit semester, but good news is I got to spend all of my winter break taking care of and bonding with him. I've also managed to balance this semester really well with raising a puppy, my parents being back up caretakers for when I'm in class. He's now almost 5 months old and we're doing fine. I still put a lot of time aside for Apollo, including not going out as much and coming home as often as possible, even between classes which can be a challenge since I commute 20 minutes to my university's campus.

My parents also take care of some expenses, like vet bills and such, because I'm unemployed. But I do buy his toys, treats, and sometimes his food, to make sure I'm contributing. A lot of the reason why I wanted a dog now was because 1) when I graduate (which is hopefully within 4 years) and I decide to leave for work reasons or grad school or anything, Apollo would be at a good age where he's mellowed out of the puppy stage but can travel with me wherever I might go and 2) I knew going through college without anyone to keep me company would take a toll on me. I was already going through some rough times this past summer, I won't go into detail, and I'm not the type to have a whole lot of friends. It's not something I mind honestly, I prefer to work alone, but an animal companion really raises your mood and makes you work harder. I am definitely much happier having Apollo around, even if he makes life hell sometimes.

Anyways, working a puppy into your schedule is obviously something you've thought about and won't be careless about. It's a big commitment, and I hate seeing people get dogs on a whim during busy times in their lives, then do absolutely nothing to take care of them. And I know you won't do that. Since you'll have a whole summer to start bonding with your puppy, that's great. It's a crucial time that you're lucky you'll have open to devote it to your dog.

@INU RYUU LOL @ Multiple Shiba Inu syndrome, I'm pretty sure I'll end up having that sooner than later. But I'm limiting myself to one dog until I'm graduated and have a stable job to support a second.

My perspective on time: college is way less time consuming than a real job. I spent about 7.5 hours a week in class in undergrad and even now that I'm not at a liberal arts school with a wacky trimester system, I still only spend about 10 hours a week in class. Working a normal 9-5 takes up way more time. The only time when I would say that might not be true is when I'm in finals, because law school bases 100% of your grade on finals and so the semester is backloaded in terms of work. Even so, it's hard to be sure that I actually spend 40 hrs a week studying. To me, money and the uncertainty of knowing where you'll be in 4 years is the bigger issue. I was always broke in undergrad (but I also couldn't take out loans to live on that didn't go to rooming and eating at school due to the way my college worked, so I bet that's different for others). My last year there I couldn't even afford my own books, much less vet care for my rats (who are cheap pets, relatively speaking). If my husband hadn't picked up both for me, it would have been rough. Like you, I would have had to have asked my mother, who is 65 year old retiree. She would have given it to me (even for the rats, since she's an animal lover), but frankly I would have hated asking her. To that end, let me make a suggestion: get pet insurance. You never know what might happen and that way you won't have to ask mom in case of an emergency. That's what we've done because while I know my mom would probably give me an egregious amount of money for Zim, I never want to have to ask. Putting myself in a place where I will hopefully never have to was part of what it meant to me to make a responsible decision about getting him.

My husband and i are 24. We held off on getting our fuzzy until after my husband and i graduated, but it wasn't because we were concerned with time after class and work (both of us worked during school) or even the money (though honestly it would have been a little tighter than wld be preferable). Really for us it was housing. We living in a notoriously unpet-friendly city, and finding an apartment that allowed dogs was the difference between $300/mo for a 2 bdrm (dirt cheap) and 575/month (not so dirt cheap). But besides that the pet friendly places weren't as commuteable for us. So we waited. I was not happy i think it might have been one of the few things i really nagged him about lol! But it worked. And now we have Kona, who is mosly perfect. So thats definitely a good thing!

Damn, 300 and 575 are both pretty good for a 2 bedroom. I'm moving into a 1 bedroom that's 530 (not super expensive considering all but electric is paid.) A little longer commute to school but I was getting a new apartment anyway since my management now sucks.

I'm 23 and graduating this year and I honestly thought that the first 2 years were a breeze because you're basically only doing your general education but as you advance further into your major, your workload will definitely get tougher and more time consuming.

I'm currently in my second semester and I'm taking senior level classes, so I hope it won't get too much tougher. LOL. I'm splitter general ed with major classes so it's equal each semester throughout the four years.

@kaysejean@Kitsu I am going totally off topic here so I apology...but where do you guys live? The rents on the apartments you are speaking of is crazy cheap considering where I am. I live in Pennsylvania and I actually manage an apartment complex (at work right now...LOL and we are full so I can play online) but our two bedroooms range from $1,070 to $1,375 and again...we are full with nothing to rent. I also live in an apartment (not where I work) and its only a one bedroom and we pay $900 a month!

I'm eighteen and working on my second semester in college...I attend both online and on campus courses. As of this point in time I really do not have the challenge of trying to find "Shiba-sitters" Which is lucky. There aren't many I would trust to keep an eye on the rascals.

I live at home (to save on housing expenses. My parents had to put three other children before me through college, so they actually prefer this.) so yes, my parents do help out but I still do about 98% of the work. My dad will take Apollo out in the mornings because he gets up earliest for work. If I'm in class and my parents are home, they watch him, take him outside, and sometimes walk him. My mom doesn't do much but watch him with fascination because she doesn't know how to take care of dogs.

If I had a choice and the money though, I'd rather just watch Apollo myself in my own place. Hopefully I can accomplish this within my four years at college. If not, most definitely after.

I too live at home. There is no way I could afford to live on my own at this point in time. My parents help out occasionally when I have to work the weekends, but I only have school Tuesdays and Thursdays on campus (at this point in time) so I am mostly home with the pack. My Mom helps me walk all three of them sometimes. It is difficult to walk Rusty with either of the girls if we run into a neighbor's dog.

My Mom would rather leave the dogs to my Dad and my brother though. Sometimes they make her laugh, but she still prefers the cats. But she has been helpful with taking them out when we first got them and drying them as I take them out in the rain. However I carry most of the load. I brush their teeth, clip and file their nails, bathe them, and trim Punkin's fur. I do get help drying them sometimes. But everyone always seems to be "busy" during bath time. I do not mind it though. I like spending time with the dogs and they are easy enough to bath (much better then trying to bathe a cat!).

My sister, my older sibling, lives in town and she has volunteered to watch he dogs on many occasions when I have had to be somewhere and my parents (or younger brother) could not watch them. There are few I trust to watch the Shibas. And those whom I have entrusted with their care have had to all listen carefully to my instructions. Mainly: "DO NOT LET THEM OUT WITHOUT A LEASH!" It is amazing how many people do not understand that. These are people who've owned Labs all of their lives and cannot fathom a dog that must be kept on their leash.

I do have a few Vets and a few boarding kennels saved to my phone though in case of an emergency and I need to drop the dogs somewhere. These are places I have researched in advance and contacted them to see if they would be willing to take on the challenge of two Shibas and a Punkin. (Punkin is a strange cookie.) Not all have agreed to the challenge so it is good to contact these kennels before and and perhaps visit them to see if they are up to par. I tend to be a little overprotective with my dogs though.